Game 17: TRUMAN (6-10, 3-5 MIAA) vs. Nebraska-Kearney (5-11, 2-6 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, January 24, 2013
Time: 7:30 pm CT
Location: Kirksville, Mo. || Pershing Arena
Radio: 104.7 KRES-FM (Moberly, Mo.) || Listen Online
Video: Watch Online
Live Stats: Regular || Media/Mobile
Game Notes: Truman || Nebraska-Kearney
Statistics: Truman || Nebraska-Kearney || MIAA
Social Media: @TrumanAthletics
Game 18: TRUMAN vs. Fort Hays State (10-5, 4-3 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, January 26, 2013
Time: 3:00 pm CT
Location: Kirksville, Mo. || Pershing Arena
Radio: 104.7 KRES-FM (Moberly, Mo.) || Listen Online
Video: Watch Online
Live Stats: Regular || Media/Mobile
Game Notes: Truman || Fort Hays
Statistics: Truman || Fort Hays || MIAA
Social Media: @TrumanAthletics
For Starters:
The Truman men's basketball team closes a January that saw the squad play six of eight at home, as the Bulldogs welcome both Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays (Kan.) State to Pershing Arena this Thursday and Saturday.
The Bulldogs (6-10, 3-5 MIAA) will try to get back to the .500-mark in MIAA play with a pair of games against out-of-state and distant conference foes. Truman starts the weekend with a Thursday night duel with MIAA-newcomer Nebraska-Kearney (5-11, 2-6 MIAA) at 7:30 pm before taking the FHSU Tigers (10-5, 4-3 MIAA) to the floor at 3:00 pm on Saturday.
Truman is coming off a 1-1 week in which the program notched its first win against a top-10 team under head coach Matt Woodley when it defeated then-10th-ranked Washburn 64-56 in Topeka, Kan., on Wednesday, Jan. 16. On Saturday, Jan. 19, Truman fell 63-59 to MIAA-leading Central Missouri at home, after the 'Dogs led by five with just more than five minutes to play.
UNK enters the week having recently defeated Missouri Southern 74-66 in Joplin last Saturday, while FHSU will travel to Lindenwood on Thursday night before visiting the 'Ville on Saturday afternoon.
These will be the only scheduled games between the teams this season.
Probable Starters:
G – #2 – Seth Jackson – 6'3” – 200 – SO – 11.1 ppg | 4.3 rpg | 1.4 apg | '12 MIAA FOY
F – #5 – Mike Carlson – 6'9” – 200 – JR – 16.3 ppg | 5.9 rpg | 2.1 apg | 21 blocks
G – #12 – Cory Myers – 6'3” – 190 – FR – 6.9 ppg | 2.9 rpg | 4.1 apg | 23 steals
G – #22 – Tom Norton – 5'9” – 170 – SR – 12.7 ppg | 1.1 rpg | 0.9 apg | 3.4 3FG/gm
F – #33 – Tyler Anderson – 6'5” – 210 – SO – 5.6 ppg | 4.3 rpg | 0.4 apg | 55% FG
Off the Bench:
G – #3 – Isaac Gardner – 6'4” – 205 – JR – 6.13 ppg | 1.3 rpg | 0.3 apg | 31 3FG
G – #10 – Matt Patterson – 5'10” – 165 – SR – 2.5 ppg | 0.8 rpg | 1.3 apg | 46% 3FG
G – #11 – Cole Myers – 6'3” – 190 – FR – 5.1 ppg | 2.4 rpg | 1.9 apg | 23 steals
F – #15 – Jaylon Jones – 6'5” – 230 – FR – 5.5 ppg | 2.2 rpg | 0.4 apg | 47% FG
G – #20 – Dominic Kacich – 6'3” – 170 – SO – 6.0 ppg | 0.0 rpg | 1.0 apg | 1 GP
C – #21 – Marek Bush – 6'6” – 245 – JR – 3.3 ppg | 4.4 rpg | 0.3 apg | 23 O-Reb
C – #35 – Patrick Burmester – 6'9” – 235 – SO – 0.8 ppg | 2.7 rpg | 0.5 apg | 6 GP
2013 Redshirts:
C – #24 – Kiefer Starbird – 6'10” – 200 – FR
G – #30 – Andrew Vander Zwaag – 6'3” – 185 – SO
F – #32 – Connor Erickson – 6'8” – 190 – FR
Coaching Staff:
Head Coach: Matt Woodley
Career Record: 14-30 || .318 || 2nd season
At Truman: Same
MIAA: 8-20 || .286
Assistant Coaches: Todd Lorensen (2nd season), Matt Fitzpatrick (2nd season)
Bulldog Buckets:
· The Bulldogs are scoring 71.1 ppg on the season (69.5 MIAA), shooting 44.9% from the field (43.8% MIAA), and 35.9% from three-point range (37.0% MIAA). The Bulldogs are connecting at a 70.7% clip from the foul line through all 16 games, with that mark raised to 75.8% in eight MIAA games.
· Truman has already surpassed its 2012 road win total (2-12) through five road contests (3-2 in 2013) and is three wins away from matching the 2012 home win total (6-7) with four to play within the friendly confines of Pershing Arena.
· The Bulldogs are ranked in the top-third of MIAA team statistics in three-pointers made per game (4th; 7.6), assist-to-turnover ratio (4th; 1.2), three-point field goal percentage (5th; 35.9%) and turnover margin (5th; +1.8).
· Mike Carlson is one of the MIAA's top players statistically this year, ranking third in the MIAA in free throw percentage (87.5%), fourth in blocks (1.3), sixth in scoring (16.3), eighth in steals (1.7), 10th in field goal percentage (53.0%) and 15th in rebounding (5.9).
· Cory Myers ranks eighth in the MIAA in assists (4.1), while he and his brother, Cole, are tied for 13th in steals at 1.4 per game.
· Isaac Gardner ranks 10th in the MIAA in three-pointers made per game (1.9).
· Fans on the lookout for Tom Norton amongst the MIAA and NCAA leaders will have to wait four more games, when Tom hits the 75% games played mark this year. Currently, his 43% three-point percentage would rank seventh in the league, while his 3.4 three-pointers made per game would lead the conference.
Mr. 1K:
With his team-opening three-pointer in Saturday's game against Central Missouri, senior guard Tom Norton became the 25th-member of Truman's 1,000-point club. 714 of Norton's 1,005 career points have come from beyond the three-point line (238 made), tying him for second-most in Truman history with Brian Basich. He needs 62 to tie Steve Schieppe's top mark of 300 career triples.
Jackson Receives Nomination for MIAA AOW:
Sophomore guard Seth Jackson averaged 13.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and shot 50% from the floor as the Bulldogs went 1-1 last week against a pair of the MIAA's top teams. On Wednesday, Jackson scored 13 points on 5-6 shooting (3-5 FT) as the Bulldogs upset then-No. 10 Washburn 64-56. Then, on Saturday, he scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Truman had a late lead slip away at home against MIAA-leaders Central Missouri. For the season, last season's MIAA freshman of the year is averaging 11.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
The Reliables:
Mike Carlson and Seth Jackson are the only two Bulldogs to start all 16 games this season, while freshman guard Cory Myers has earned a starting nod in each of the team's last 15 games.
“Free”bies:
Overall through eight MIAA games, the Bulldogs are shooting 75.8% (122-for-161) from the charity stripe. Helping contribute to those numbers is a combined 94-for-107 (87.8%) line from Mike Carlson, Tom Norton, Seth Jackson and Cory Myers – Truman's top four scorers.
Getting to the line has been a key factor under second-year coach Matt Woodley, as the Bulldogs are 1-18 in games where the opponent makes more free throws than the 'Dogs. Truman is 13-12 in games where it makes more than its opponent.
Making a Splash from Downtown:
The Bulldogs have made at least one three-pointer in every game since Feb. 12, 2003, a stretch of 268 consecutive games.
Five Peas in an MIAA Pod:
For the 2012-13 season, the MIAA will be invoking a “pod” system for basketball scheduling, resulting in 18 league matches for all 15 of the conference's schools. While all 15 teams will fall under set of standings with no delineation between pods, Truman will play Central Missouri, Lincoln, Southwest Baptist and newcomer-Lindenwood twice each as part of one five-team grouping.
Emporia State, Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State will join with newcomers Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State as a second pod, while Northwest Missouri, Missouri Western, Washburn and Fort Hays will align with the final newcomer, Nebraska-Kearney, in a third pod.
At the end of the season, the top 12 teams will compete for the MIAA men's basketball championship. First-round games will be played on Monday, March 4 on campus sites with the top-4 teams and the first-round winners advancing to Kansas City for the remainder of the tournament as usual.
For a full game-by-game breakdown of MIAA standings and schedules, check the full set of printable game notes linked at the top of this page.
Series Notes vs. Neb.-Kearney:
Series Record: Never Met.
Last Meeting: Never Met.
Series Streak: Never Met.
Record in Kirksville: Never Met.
Last TSU win in Kirksville: Never Met.
Woodley vs. Nebraska-Kearney: 0-0
Scouting the Lopers:
Conference newcomer Nebraska-Kearney is 5-11 overall on the season, including a 2-6 mark in the MIAA. The Lopers are 3-6 away from home this year, but have won two straight MIAA road affairs (60-57 @ NSU; 74-66 @ MSSU).
The Lopers are led by senior guard Jon Henderson's 14.9 ppg (12th in MIAA) and 86% FT shooting, while sophomore guard/forward Pierre Newton (13.3) and junior forward Mike Dentlinger (12.9) also rank in the MIAA's top-25 in individual scoring. UNK is averaging 71.4 ppg as a team but is allowing more than 78 points per contest.
UNK is not a deep team, as evidenced by Henderson, Newton and sophomore forward Tyler Shields all playing more than 32 minutes per night (all top-10 in MIAA).
Tom Kropp and Kevin Lofton have been co-coaches of the UNK program since the 2005-06 season.
Notably vs. UNK:
· The Bulldogs have never met UNK in men's basketball.
Series Notes vs. Fort Hays:
Series Record: Fort Hays State leads 11-3; 15th meeting
Last Meeting: FHSU-76, TSU-57 (Feb. 8, 2012 || Hays, Kan.)
Series Streak: Fort Hays W-9
Record in Kirksville: Fort Hays leads 5-1 (FHSU W-5)
Last TSU win in Kirksville: TSU-70, FHSU-57 (Jan. 3, 2007)
Woodley vs. Fort Hays State: 0-2
Scouting the Tigers:
Fort Hays (10-5, 4-3 MIAA) has see-sawed decisions since the turn of the calendar, having gone 2-3 after the re-start of MIAA play on January 3. The Tigers are 7-2 at home but are just 3-3 on the road this year and will visit Lindenwood on Thursday prior to heading to Kirksville.
The Tigers rank amongst the MIAA's elite in a variety of categories, including leading the league in field goal defense, blocks and assists, while ranking second in scoring margin, three-point shooting and turnover margin. The squad has four players averaging at least 13.0 ppg, lead by junior forward Dwayne Brunson's 15.2/game. Freshman guard Craig Nicholson is the MIAA leader in assists (7.0/gm), while senior guard Ben Conguista leads the conference in three-pointers per game (2.7) and minutes played (33.7).
Mark Johnson is in his 12th season as the head coach of the Tiger program, having compiled a mark of 236-103 at the school.
Notably vs. FHSU:
· Isaac Gardner is 5-for-12 (42%) from 3-pt range in four career games (4.8 ppg).
· Seth Jackson averaged 14.0 ppg/6.0 rpg in two games last season.
· Tom Norton is 12-for-32 (38%) from 3-pt range in six career games (10.0 ppg).
Up Next:
The Bulldogs have just one game on the docket next week, as the purple and white travels to Southwest Baptist for a Saturday, Feb. 2 game in Bolivar, Mo. Tipoff against the Bearcats is set for 3:30 pm.
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